UCI backing Ponferrada to host 2014 world road championships

Although the awarding of the right to host future world championships is normally announced during the worlds itself, the UCI has taken the step of backing a candidate at this point of the season. It has said that the file received from Ponferrada in north western Spain has been deemed the best. As a result it looks set to host the championships in three and a half years’ time.

“The decision taken at this stage of the evaluation procedure comes after a rigorous assessment by the relevant UCI services of all the elements – particularly sporting and economic – of the different candidatures,” it said in a statement.

“As a result, the UCI has decided to propose only the candidature of Ponferrada to its Management Committee, at its meeting in Copenhagen (Denmark) in September, for the awarding of the 2014 edition of the World Championships.”

Ponferrada had unsuccessfully bid for the 2013 worlds, which was awarded to Florence last October at the championships in Australia.

Hooglede-Gits in Belgium, Chihuahua in Mexico and the Vendée region in France were amongst those who had been pushing hard for consideration for the 2014 edition.

Apart from backing the Spanish city’s bid for that year, the UCI said today that it is also considering its candidature for the organisation of the 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.

The elite road world championships was last held in Spain in 2005 when Madrid hosted the races.

The UCI has also confirmed that the Sultanate of Oman and the city of Richmond in Virginia are those who have already presented their candidature for the 2015 worlds. The UCI has limited applications from outside Europe in order to try to promote the growth of the sport worldwide.